Desperate Heart
by Carolina Brony
Summary: Sequel to Phil Desperate Deville. A new girl comes in-between Phil and Kimi's new relationship. The question is, are her feelings for Phil really legit or is this another trick? Is this really the end of Phil and Kimi?


**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show All Grown Up or any of the characters from the show that are involved in this story. Please don't sue.

**Rating**: PG for violent content and a few kissing scenes.

**Author Notes:** Yes, this is the sequel to my very first AGU, "Phil Desperate Deville." If you haven't read "Phil Desperate Deville" that's ok. The events that unfolded in that story will be recapped down below. Oh, and in case some of you are still wondering... yes, I used to be Old School Kev aka DigiKev16. That was my pen name at the time when "Phil Desperate Deville" was first released. Again, sorry for the confusion. Anyway... I hope you guys enjoy this story as much as you have my previous ones. This will be my first chaptered fiction in over 3 years.

**(Recap)**

Friday night of last week had been the roughest night of Phil's life. On Thursday, Phil had supposively caught Diane's eye, having been the only one in their class to ace the science test. She had offered to go to the dance with Phil, if he wanted to and, of course, he did. He thought it was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him, but because of Diane's history of bad mouthing him, Lil had become very suspicious about this whole deal. Her efforts to try to talk Phil out of it, only made them fight. Later on, Dil had confronted Phil with a disturbing report. While Dil had been secretly spying on Diane, Leslie, and Brett, he had overheard Diane say that she was going to dump Phil at the last moment in front of everybody at the dance. Phil didn't believe Dil and got even angrier with Lil, for though, he thought she had put Dil up to it. That night, Kimi revealed to Chuckie that she had a secret crush on Phil this whole time and was saddened by him dating Diane, instead of her. Also that night, after given some advice by her mother, Lil decided that there was only one course of action left to take.

Friday at lunch, Lil let it be known that she wasn't going to the dance, for though, she didn't want to see Phil get rejected, in the event that it DID happen. The others were not pleased by this and in fact, Chuckie gave up his date with Nicole, so that Lil wouldn't have to sit home alone. That night at the dance, Phil was just about to get Diane to dance, when she did it. She rejected him and then she, Leslie, and Brett began to taunt Phil. Brett continued to taunt Phil, until he snapped. Phil and Brett engaged in a brawl. Elsewhere, while playing cards, Chuckie had convinced Lil into going to the dance, to make sure nothing bad had happened or would happen to Phil. They arrived near the end of brawl, which Phil was obviously winning, and with Chuckie's help, Tommy and Dil were finally able to pull Phil off of Brett. After a few words to Diane, Phil broke down into tears, which infuriated Lil. Lil quickly made her way up to Diane, gave her a few choice words, and then delivered a mighty slap to Diane's face. Very shortly after this, Diane, Leslie, and Brett quickly exited the gym. Afterwards, Lil made her way towards Phil. Phil apologized to Lil for not having listened to her and said that, he didn't care if Lil was 2 minutes or 2 seconds older than him, she would always be his older sister. They embraced in a hug and the dance continued. Chuckie got to dance with Nicole after all and Dil got to dance with a random girl, who thought he was brave in trying to pull Phil off of Brett. Instead of going home, Phil decided that he wanted to stay and dance with Kimi, so Lil decided to stay and dance with Tommy. Needless to say, it all ended well, after all.

**(Prologue)**

After such an eventful night, some kids would've thought that the worst was over and that their problems were solved, but not Phil. No sir, Phil knew the worst was yet to come and it wasn't very far off. It was the following Monday, which not only meant back to school, but back to school and back to class WITH the trio (Leslie, Diane, and Brett) that gave him such a hard time Friday night. The thought of what might happen made him sick.

"What's the matter, Phillip?" Lil asked her brother, as they, Tommy, Dil, Chuckie, Kimi, Angelica, and Susie awaited the arrival of the school bus. "You ok? You look pale." Lil added.

"I don't feel so good. I think I'm going to go back home." Phil said. All the others remained silent, except for Angelica.

"You're going to have to face him sooner or later, Deville. You can't lay out of school forever." Angelica pointed out. Phil looked at her with a questionable expression on his face. "What? I may be blonde, but I'm not dumb. It's obvious that you're trying to get out of having to face Brett. All you're doing is delaying the inevitable. The best thing for you to do, is to go ahead, face him, and get it over with." Angelica explained. The others were baffled by this sudden burst of insight. Then again, she was an advice giver for a reason. Although, her advice in the past kinda stunk. Ok, ok, ok, it REALLY stunk, but this was spot on and much needed.

"I hate to say it, but Angelica's right, Phil." Susie said. The others agreed. Phil lowered his head. He wanted to cry. He SO didn't want to go through with this, but Angelica WAS right; He had no other choice. Lil placed a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"Hey, it'll be ok. Tommy and I will be right there beside you the whole time." Lil said, smiling. Tommy nodded. Phil momentarily grinned. He knew he had their support, but somehow, that didn't seem to be good enough.

**Desperate Heart**

by: **Carolina Brony  
**

**(Chapter 1)**

**Monday 9:00 A.M.**

It was time. Phil, Lil, and Tommy entered their science class. A couple of boys in the class were stoked to see Phil.

"Yo, my man!" Brian exclaimed.

"We were just talking about how you beat Brett's butt so badly. Hah, that was awesome!" Daniel exclaimed.

"Yeah, nice fight, Phil." Ryan said, extending his hand for Phil to shake. Phil wouldn't shake Ryan's hand. He just stared at him blankly for a second and then walked past him to his seat. The three boys look at each other, shrug their shoulders, and then continue their previous conversation. Lil sat down beside Phil at the same table and Tommy sat at a table a row over from Phil, so that they were both beside him. Phil still didn't feel too good. He propped his head into one of his hands with his elbow resting on the table.

"Phillip, will you relax already?" Lil asked with a hint of irritation in her voice. She hated seeing him like this.

"I am relaxed." Phil lied. His cause may have seemed unjust to others, but it wasn't to him. After all, HE was the one that had to go through with it. They couldn't have possibly known how he felt.

"Yeah, seriously, Phil. You worry more than Chuckie and that's saying something." Tommy joked.

"Ha ha... Very funny, T." Phil said sarcastically.

At that moment, Phil recognized to two girls that were entering the room. It was them. Diane and Leslie both stared at Phil, as they approached their table, which was the one in front of his and Lil's. Both girls wore cocky grins on their faces, as to say, "Ha ha! We got you good!" Phil tried his hardest not to make eye contact with the girls, but he wanted to kind of keep an eye on them. Phil's stomach turned. He just knew they were going to say something, but surprisingly, they didn't. Even after taking their seats, they both just continued to stare at him. Phil and Diane suddenly lock eyes. Phil felt so much hatred towards this girl, for doing what she had done to him, but he managed to stay cool and never said anything. He finally turns away from her. Diane and Leslie both roll their eyes and then turn their attention to Lil. Lil sat cross armed and stared the two girls down with narrow eyes. A small grin formed on Diane's face, as she reached up and touched her own face, right where Lil had slapped her Friday night. She then nods her head and turns around to face the front of the classroom. Lil knew that gesture was intended to mean either two things. One, it was a show of respect or two, it was a way of saying, "Yeah... I'll get you back for that." Either way, Lil didn't care. She was just ready to do it again, if Diane started in on her or Phil again. Leslie continued to stare at Lil for another short moment and then turned around to the front of the classroom.

After Leslie turned around, Phil started looking around the room. He hadn't shown yet. Was he going to? What would happen? What would the two boys do when they saw each other again? Was all heck going to break loose again or would Brett simply walk past Phil and say nothing? These same questions ran through Phil's mind continuously. The more he thought, the sicker he became. He suddenly starts to slightly hyperventilate. Lil notices this. She tries her best to comfort him.

"It's ok, Phil. Just calm down. Take a couple of deep breaths." Lil said softly. Phil tried this method. It did indeed calm him down a great deal. Lil smiles at him. Phil managed a small grin as well, but that grin quickly faded, as a boy stepped into the room. It was him.

Brett stood in the doorway of the classroom with his eyes locked in Phil's direction. The room went completely silent. Phil's breathing quickened. His heart rate was accelerating. He, like everyone else in the classroom, knew something was about to happen. Diane and Leslie especially knew it. They both turned around and give Phil a knowingly glare, as to say, "Oh, boy! You're in for it now!" Phil's breathing accelerated even more, as Brett started making his way into the classroom. Lil just knew she had to do something. She tried one last ditch effort. She reaches over and grabs Phil's hand. Phil gave his sister a weird look. It may've seemed awkward for them to be holding hands, but Lil didn't care, she just wanted to comfort her brother and it appeared, for the moment, to be working. Phil's breathing slowed dramatically, but then all of the sudden, he removes his hand from hers and of all things, stands up to face Brett. Brett got right up to Phil and stopped. Gasps from other students echoed throughout the room. The once silent room was now filled with the sound of whispers, as Brett and Phil stood toe to toe with their eyes locked onto each other. Phil took another look at the much bigger kid standing in front of him and swallowed hard. He couldn't believe he had actually been in a fight with Brett and survived. A cocky grin formed on Brett's face. Phil's eyes widened, he raised his chin, and clinched his fists. Phil was making a statement, a statement that said, "You don't scare me." The grin quickly erased from Brett's face and then a serious glare came across it. Phil and everyone else now knew that it was imminent. At that same moment, Mr. Beaker entered the classroom.

"Alright, class, take your seats, please." Mr. Beaker commanded. This was it. It was now or never. Who would make the first gesture? Who would provoke the other first? The tension was building even more. Brett finally makes the first gesture.

"Excuse me." He said. He then walks past Phil and takes his seat.

Phil and the others were completely baffled, yet relieved at the same time. "Excuse me?" Phil questioned in his mind. That was absolutely the last thing he expected to hear. Phil scanned the faces of the other kids in the room. He felt embarrassed, but at the same time, he wore a questionable look on his face, as did the others. What was going on? Was it really over? Phil looked back to Brett to try to get a read off of him, but got nothing.

"Mr. Deville?" Mr. Beaker called to him, but got no acknowledgement. Phil was too lost in his own thoughts. "Mr. Deville?" Mr. Beaker called out even louder. This time, he had Phil's attention. Phil quickly turned around to face the teacher. "Is there a problem?" Mr. Beaker asked. Phil took a second to think about it. Was there? Was there really a problem or was it all in Phil's head? Phil finally shakes his head. "Then please take a seat, so that we may get started." Mr. Beaker commanded. Phil scanned the room one last time, gave Mr. Beaker a nod, and then took his seat. "Thank you. Now, class, please remain quiet. I will now write down today's topics on the board." Mr. Beaker said and then turned to the blackboard.

Phil rested his forehead in the palms of both hands. He felt so ashamed of himself, yet so relieved that nothing happened. Lil leans over to whisper to him.

"You ok?" Lil asked. Phil never responded. He remained in the same position.

At that moment, Lil saw something waving in the corner of her eye. Lil looks to see Brett holding a piece of folded paper. Brett checks to make sure the teacher isn't looking and then slides the folded paper across the table to her. Lil picks up the paper and then gives Brett a questionable look. Brett points to Phil. It had to be a note. There was no other explanation. After a slight bit of hesitation, Lil hands Phil the note. Phil turns to her. Lil turns her head in Brett's direction. Phil looks back at Brett with a confused look on his face. Brett nods. Phil turns back around and slowly opens the note, reading the four words written inside. "See me at lunch." Phil went into think mode for a moment. He then wrote down a message of his own, folded the paper back up, checked on Mr. Beaker, and slid it back across Brett's table. Brett retrieved the note, opened it, and read the message under his that questioned, "What for?" A huge grin formed on Brett's face. He wrote another message and then slid it back across to Phil. Phil checked on Mr. Beaker, took the note back, and opened it. Phil froze the moment he read to two word response, "You'll see." He stared at the paper in horror. It appeared that his previous thoughts were coming true. Things were just getting started. A chill shot through Phil's body to his stomach. Phil then began to feel very sick. He felt it. It was coming.

"Mr. Beaker, can I please go to the restroom?" Phil asked quickly. Mr. Beaker turned to him.

"Is it an emergency?"

"Yes, please!" Phil urged.

"Yes, go ahead." Mr. Beaker said. Phil got up from his seat and quickly made his way out of the classroom. This sent the other students into conversation. They had all witnessed the note being passed back and forth. "Please remain quiet." Mr. Beaker repeated. He then continued writing topics on the board.

"Man... he must've really had to go." Brett said in a low voice. Lil glares at him and then looks at the note that was still on the table. Brett still wore a huge grin on his face, but that faded when he saw Lil grab and open the note. Lil read the entire contents of the note and then glared at Brett with a serious expression on her face, one that said, "You mess with him, you mess with me."

The whispers in the room continued. Tommy quietly moved over to Lil's table.

"Lil, what is it?" Tommy asked in a low voice.

"Tommy... g... go c... check on Phil, please." Lil said while her eyes remained locked on Brett. Lil had said this in an angry tone. Tommy nods his head. Whatever was going on, he knew it had to be serious. He creeps back over to his seat.

"Mr. Beaker?" Tommy calls out.

"Yes?"

"Would it be alright if I went to check on Phil?"

"Do you really think it's necessary?"

"I do."

"Then, yes, but make it quick."

Tommy nods and exits the room. He then made his way into the boy's bathroom across the hall.

"Phil? Where are you?" Tommy called out.

"Second stall..." Phil groaned.

"You ok?"

Phil didn't answer, he just flushed the toilet and walked out of the stall. A look of horror came over Tommy's face, having noticed that Phil's was real pale.

"Dude... did you throw up?" Tommy asked. Phil nods. He then begins washing his face with running water from the sink. "Nerves?" Tommy asked. Phil nodded again. "Well... what's going on? What got you so upset?" Tommy asked. Phil finally got himself to answer.

"He's going to kill me." Phil said.

"WHAT? That's what the letter said?"

"No, but he wants me to meet him at lunch. He's going to kill me, Tommy! I just know it!" Phil yelled, slamming his fists on the sink.

"Phil, you're overreacting."

"Am I?"

"Well... yeah. How do you know he doesn't want to like... shake hands or something? He could just be wanting to apologize."

"Hah! Don't make me laugh, T. You know as well as I do, that Brett is never going to apologize for anything he does. It's always someone else's fault. That's how a lot of the popular kids think."

Tommy just shook his head.

"Well, then you know what? You've got to bail." Phil gave Tommy a questionable look. "Go to the nurse and tell her you're sick. You can't keep getting upset like this. I mean, look at you! Your whole body is shaking and your face is ghost white! You look like a zombie, Phil!"

Phil went into think mode for a moment. The idea did sound good, but then Angelica's words echoed in his mind.

"You're going to have to face him sooner or later, Deville. You can't lay out of school forever."

"No." Phil said. Tommy gave him a puzzled look. "I can't do that, Tommy. It's like Angelica said... It's now or never. I'd rather get it over with now." Phil said with a determined look on his face.

"But, Phil..."

"If he thinks for a second that I'm going to give him the pleasure, well then... he's sadly mistaken! I'm not scared of him and I'm going to prove it!" Phil exclaimed and then stormed out of the boy's bathroom. Tommy took one look at his watch. It was just now a quarter after nine. Tommy let out a sigh.

"This is going to be a long day..." Tommy said out loud to himself. He then followed Phil back into the classroom.

"Phillip, do you require a visit to the nurse?" Mr. Beaker asked, as the two boys entered the room.

"Yes." Brett said in a low voice, assuming that Phil was going to chicken out.

"No." Phil said. A shocked look came over Brett's face. "I'm fine now." Phil added. Mr. Beaker nods.

"Very well then. Boys, take your seats." Mr. Beaker commanded. Both boys nod their heads and proceed to their seats.

All eyes were locked on Phil again. Phil scanned the room once again to find concerned faces all around, even on the faces of Diane and Leslie, but none were more concerned than that of his sister's. This time, Phil didn't make eye contact with Brett. He just sat back down in his chair and lowered his head. Lil leans over to whisper to him.

"Ph... Phillip?" Lil whispered in a shaky voice. Phil looked over at her.

"I'm alright." Phil lied. The truth was, he was holding back so many emotions. He was all of scared, willing, sad, and angry at the same time. He was so nervous, he wanted to cry, yet so upset, he wanted to go ahead and bash Brett's face in. Indeed Phil was feeling a great deal of pain, emotionally. He just hoped he wasn't going to have to feel the same, physically. As much as this was hurting him, it was also making him much stronger. After all, if he was able to make it out of this, without going through a nervous breakdown, everything else should be a piece of cake or so one would think.

Phil lowered his head once again. Tommy managed to get Lil's attention. Tommy closed his eyes and shook his head. Lil nodded hers. As much as she wanted to help her brother, she couldn't. After all, this whole situation was beyond anything either of them had ever experienced before. This whole thing, this whole day was just going to have to play itself out, whether they liked it or not.

**12:05 P.M.**

It was lunch time. Phil had managed to make it through the rest of the morning without getting sick again. He now stood outside of the cafeteria with his friends: Tommy, Dil, Chuckie, Kimi and his sister, Lil. Phil took in a couple of deep breaths and let them out. Silence remained between them. Phil looks back to his friends. They nod at him. He nods back and then enters the cafeteria.

Phil was surprised to find a gathering of students. Brett was standing in the middle of that gathering, waiting on Phil to walk over. "Word must've gotten around." Phil thought to himself. He then slowly made his way towards Brett. Phil scanned the faces of students on both sides of the walkway. Every face had a concerned expression on it. They all knew that something was fixing to happen. What exactly that something was, they weren't sure. Some of them had the idea, but found it odd that there would be another altercation between these two. Phil had proven that he wasn't afraid to fight and that he was very good at it, so Brett should've thought twice, before ever provoking him again. Whatever the case, they were all ready to see it unfold or so they thought.

Phil now faced Brett. He had given himself some space this time, so that he would have more time to react, if Brett started something. Both boys scanned the faces of those surrounding them. Their eyes then lock back onto each other. The tension was once again building to extreme levels. For the first time that day, Phil spoke to Brett.

"You wanted to see me?" Phil asked. Brett just nodded his head. He then looks down to his extending hand. "A handshake?" Phil questioned in his mind. Brett looks down at his hand and then back up to Phil, as to say, "Well... you going to shake or what?" A grin formed on Phil's face, he grabs Brett's hand, and shakes it.

The gathering of kids lets out a group sigh of relief. Angelica starts clapping her hands and soon the whole gathering was doing the same. Phil nods his head and Brett nods back.

"Nice fight." Brett said.

"Thanks, you too." Phil said back. Brett nods and then places his free hand on Phil's shoulder. Phil questioned this move.

"But... just to show you what could've happened..." Brett said, forming a wicked grin on his face. He then quickly yanks Phil inward and lifts his knee into Phil's stomach. Phil yelps, falls to the ground, and doubles over in pain. The gathering of kids lets out a group gasp. The clapping had stopped by now. Phil looks up at Brett with a shocked look on his face. He then begins to cough uncontrollably.

"Phil!" Kimi and Lil shrieked, quickly kneeling by his side. Lil takes notice of the tears forming in Phil's eyes and then glares at Brett hard. Brett wore a huge smile across his face. Lil grits her teeth, stands up quickly, and begins to roll up her sleeves.

"You CREEP!" Lil yelled. She starts to walk towards Brett, but is stopped by Sean.

"Dude... that was way low." Sean said.

"So? What are you going to do about it?" Brett asked with a cocky grin on his face.

"I think the better question is... what are WE going to do about it." A boy from behind Brett said. Brett turned around to the boy and the grin on his face quickly erased. It was Troy, the huge, trench coat wearing kid and he didn't look very happy at all.

Brett takes a couple steps backwards and bumps into somebody. He turns around to a wall of kids, who all have very angry expressions across their faces. Brett looks around to find himself completely surrounded by the same. Unless Brett could fly or jump really high, he would never escape. Lil kneels back down to Phil, who's still in a coughing frenzy.

"Phillip? Breathe! Breathe, Phillip!" Lil yelled, starting to get a little upset. Tears started forming in her eyes. She was worried that her brother may have been seriously injured and so was Kimi. Phil starts breathing in and out real quickly.

"That's it! Just keep doing that and you'll be fine!" Kimi said.

"Awww... how cute. Well, Phillip dear, I would help you, but it looks like you've got all the help that you need." Diane said.

"Yeah and don't worry about fighting your own battle, because it looks like all your friends are going to do it for you." Leslie said.

"Tell me how typical that is." Diane said.

"I know! Right?" Leslie asked. The two girls then laugh. Lil and Kimi glare at the two and quickly stand up. Kimi then rolls up her sleeves, like Lil had done earlier.

"Which one do you want?" Lil asked Kimi, while cracking her knuckles.

"Both of them!" Kimi exclaimed. Horrified looks come over the faces of Diane and Leslie. The two of them begin to back up, but then quickly find themselves in the same predicament as Brett.

It was all, but clear now. Diane, Leslie, and Brett were now the enemies of the school grounds. Most of the kids that were surrounding the trio didn't know Phil all that well, but they were well aware of what had happened Friday night and they all knew who they DIDN'T like.

"Alright, break it up! Break it up!" Mr. Pangborn said, walking through the gathering of kids. The trio took the first opening they saw and quickly escaped. A determined look comes over Lil's face.

"Oh no you don't!" Lil exclaimed, starting to go after the trio.

"Lil... stop!" Phil managed to say through breaths. Lil quickly turned to her brother and gave him a puzzled look. "Just... let it... go." Phil said, still breathing really hard. A smile crept across Lil's face. She starts to walk back over to him, but stops when a random girl kneels beside Phil.

"Come on, we need to get you to the nurse. Can you walk?" The girl asked.

"I... think so." Phil said, starting to breathe more normally. The girl helps him to his feet. Kimi leans over to whisper to Lil.

"Who's that girl?" Kimi asked.

"I don't know. I've never seen her before. Have you?" Lil asked.

"No..." Kimi said. A slightly worried look comes across her face.

"Well, hey... I'm going to go with them. You coming?" Lil asked. Kimi just nods her head. The two girls follow Phil and the other girl out of the cafeteria.

"Dil, I want you to take note, that this is what happens when you mess with bigger kids." Tommy said.

"It is SO noted, bro." Dil said.

**12:25 P.M.**

"Does this hurt?" Nurse Simmons asked.

"No." Phil said.

"How about this?"

"No."

"This?"

"No."

"Hmmm... Well, you appear to be fine."

"Then why was he coughing real bad and having a hard time breathing?" Lil asked.

"Just got the wind knocked out of him, is all. It's nothing too serious." Nurse Simmons said. "You kids should get to class. I'll write passes for you all." She added. The 4 of them nod their heads. "Unless of course, you feel you need to go home, Phil." The nurse then said.

"No, I'm alright." Phil said. The nurse nods and then continues to write out the 4 passes. Once completed, the nurse hands them to the kids.

"There you go." The nurse said. The 4 kids walk out of the office. Phil turns to the girl that helped him get there.

"Say uh... Tamera, is it? Aren't you in my math class?" Phil asked. The girl smiles.

"Yep and yep." Tamera said.

"Cool. Say, thanks for helping me and everything. I really appreciate it." Phil said.

"Not a problem. Oh, and you can call me Tammy, if you want." Tamera said.

"Ok, Tammy." Phil said, with a huge grin on his face. This made the girl slightly blush.

"Well... I'll uh... be seeing you around then, Phil." Tamera said.

"You can call me Phillip." Phil said.

"Ok... Phillip then. Anyway... see ya!" Tamera said.

"Bye." Phil said. Kimi clears her throat. Phil turns to her and finds that she is glaring at him and has her arms crossed. "What?" Phil asked.

"You flirt." Kimi said.

"I was NOT flirting with her!" Phil insisted.

"Uh huh, sure..." Kimi said.

"Sounded like you were to me." Lil said, grinning.

"Come on, you both know me better than that. Kimi, you know I'd never do that to you." Phil said. Kimi smiled.

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to mess with you a bit." Kimi said with a laugh. Phil grinned. The two stare at each other adoringly.

"Well then... If you two are quite finished, might I suggest we all get to class now?" Lil asked.

"Oh, right." Phil and Kimi answered in unison.

"Alright then... Phil, you going to be alright?" Lil asked.

"Yeah, I'll be ok." Phil said.

"K. I'll see you later then." Lil said, hugging him and then walking off.

"See ya." Phil said and then turned to Kimi. "I uh... hope you seriously didn't think I was flirting with that girl, because..."

"Phil..." Kimi interrupted. She then smiled at him. "Just shut up and kiss me." A huge grin formed on Phil's face. The two edge close to each other and meet each other's lips with a small kiss. After their lips separate, the two look at each other and then embrace in a hug. Lil had been watching the whole time from around the corner.

"Phil, you sly dog you." Lil said in a real low voice to herself. A few tears dripped from her eyes. She was glad to see that her brother had finally found someone, a girl she knew would treat him right and not take advantage of him.

**2:55 P.M.**

Phil was putting away some stuff in his locker. It was the end of the school day and time to go home. As Phil is still packing some stuff in, Tamera walks up to him.

"Hi!" Tamera said.

"Hey." Phil said.

"Wow! That was a hard test. Wasn't it?"

"Yep. It was a dozy."

"Yeah... So... hey, what's the story with you and that Finster kid?" Phil turns to her.

"You mean Kimi?"

"Yeah." A confused look came over Phil's face.

"I don't understand the question."

"I mean, you know... how long have you two known each other?"

"Oh... a long time."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We've known each other for 9 out of the 10 years of our lives."

"Wow, so then, you two are pretty close."

"Yep."

"Close enough to say that you're a couple?" Phil shut his locker door and stared at her. "Why is she asking all these questions about me and Kimi?" Phil questioned in his mind.

"Uhh... well, yeah I guess so."

"Oh. Sorry, I know it's really none of my business, but for the record... I think you two make a great couple."

"Oh, well thanks."

"Don't mention it." The two started walking down the hallway together.

"Not that it's any of my business, but I bet you've got a lot of guys begging to eat out of the palms of your hands." Come to think of it, Phil did find her kind of attractive, himself. She had the brown hair and green eyes, like him and Lil. The only difference was, her eyes were more of a dark green, while Phil and Lil's were a hazel green.

"Nah... not really. I mean, yeah, guys look every now and then, but that's about it." Phil laughed.

"Well... you know, I can't say that I blame them." Tamera giggled.

"You're a sweet boy, Phillip."

"Thanks. I try." Phil said with a laugh.

"Yeah, that's what a lot of guys say, but you want to know something? Sometimes, just saying you try, doesn't really say much. No offense or anything, but I've learned that when it comes to guys, they either try too hard or don't try at all. I've dealt with both. You, on the other hand, are just right. You try, but not too much at the same time. You're unique. That's why I'm going to go ahead and say that, if you weren't dating Kimi, I'd love to go out with you." Phil stared at her, wide eyed.

"Wow! She's quick, isn't she?" Phil thought to himself.

"Well... uh thanks, but no offense, but you don't know me as well as you think you do. I mean, you know, there's a lot of stuff that you don't know about me and you're already making observations."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to upset you. I was just making conversation, that's all. I apologize."

"No no no no! I'm not upset or anything. It's cool. Don't worry about it. Talking never hurt anybody, right?"

"Right..." Phil grinned. Tamera grinned back, but that quickly erased when she looked down at her watch. "Oh my gosh! I just remembered that I was suppose to go help my cousin with her project. Well, I've got to go. It's been nice talking with you, Phillip."

"Same here." Tamera starts walking off. Phil stops her. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You know where the Java Lava is?"

"Yeah, I pass by there everyday, but have never walked in."

"Well, then come in there sometime. That's where my friends, my sister, and I hang out, usually." A smile forms on Tamera's face.

"Ok, I'll do that. See ya!"

"Later." Phil watched the girl walk off. He then shuts his eyes, takes in a deep breath, and then lets it out. For the first time that day, Phil felt completely at ease. It appeared that a whole new life was beginning for him, a much better one. Girls were actually starting to talk to him now. Even though his love and loyalty was for Kimi, it still felt nice knowing that he had a few options now. He had really matured over the past couple of days and felt that he was finally on the right road, but like any road, no matter how smooth it seemed, there would still be at least one or two rough spots in it along the way.

**3:20 P.M.**

The gang had made their usual stop at the Java Lava and were drinking smoothies. Phil and Kimi shared one together, while holding each other's hands, and staring at each other adoringly. Their friends and Betty watched on in amusement.

"Well, Chasie, looks like there's wedding bells in our future." Betty said with a laugh.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Betty, but I'm already married." Chas said.

"Not us! Them." Betty said, pointing to her son and his daughter.

"Oh." Chas said in embarrassment. He then got to thinking about it. "I don't know, Betty. Do you really think that they are that close?" Chas asked.

"Are you kidding? They're sipping from the same strawberry, green apple, banana smoothie and holding hands. That's more than Howie and I ever did at their age. Come to think of it... that's something we still haven't done, after all these years. So, yep, needless to say, our pups are pretty durn serious about each other." Betty said. A smile formed on Chas' face.

Phil and Kimi continued to slowly sip the same smoothie. They were taking their time, because this was something that neither of them had ever done before, so they wanted to enjoy it and enjoying it they were. The others remained silent while they continued to watch their friends have their moment. It was very refreshing to see, after all of the things that had went on the past couple of days. Lil suddenly turns to face Tommy. Tommy looks at her and the two lock eyes. Lil gave Tommy a stare, as to say, "Why can't our relationship be like that?" Tommy grinned and gazed upon her with narrow eyes, as to say, "Who says it can't be?" This, in turn, forces a huge grin on Lil's face. Now they were lost in their own little moment.

All the while, Dil was playing with his hacky sack. Dil accidentally let's the sack get away from him and it lands in Phil and Kimi's smoothie, splashing it on both of them.

"Oops, sorry about that, guys." Dil apologized. Kimi just laughs.

"It's alright. I'll just go in the bathroom and wash this off. No biggie." Kimi said, getting up and walking to the back. Phil stares down Dil hard. Dil smiles nervously. Phil picks the hacky sack out of the smoothie and then throws it at Dil.

"Thanks a lot for ruining our little moment, Dil!" Phil said angrily.

"Dude, I said I was sorry." Dil said.

"Lighten up, Phil. It was an accident." Lil said. Phil thought about for a moment. Lil was right. It was wrong for him to have snapped at Dil.

"Sorry, Dil." Phil apologized.

"Apology accepted." Dil said. Phil grinned.

"By the way, Dil. Whatever happened to that girl you danced with Friday night?" Tommy asked. Dil shivers.

"Dude, don't even remind me about her. That girl is weird." Dil said, trying to balance his hacky sack on his nose.

"And you're not?" Chuckie asked. Dil glared at him. At that moment, Angelica walked into the Java Lava.

"Ah, Phil, there you are!" Angelica exclaimed. Phil looked around the coffee shop and then back to Angelica.

"You talking to me?" Phil asked. Angelica glared at him.

"Well, of course! How many Phils are in here?" Angelica asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Sorry. I just found it odd that you'd be looking for me." Phil said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, you know that girl you've been talking to? You know, the one with the brown hair and green eyes?" Angelica asked. Phil gave her a weird look.

"Uhhh... you mean Lil?" Phil asked, pointing to his sister.

"No! The other girl! The one that helped you to the nurse's office today." Angelica said.

"Oh, you mean Tamera. Yeah... What about her?" Phil asked.

"Do you know how old she is? Take a wild guess." Angelica said. While Phil is thinking about it, Kimi rejoins the table.

"She's 10, isn't she?" Phil asked.

"Nope." Angelica said.

"Who are we talking about?" Kimi asked.

"Tamera. That girl that was with us in the nurse's office." Lil said.

"Well, then how old is she?" Phil asked.

"Twelve." Angelica said. Phil's eyes go wide.

"Whoa! That explains why she..." Phil started. He looked over to Kimi and then back to Angelica. "Is so tall." He finished. Phil thought about something. "Uhhh... why are telling me this?" Phil asked, like anything about Tamera was supposed to matter to him.

"I don't know. It just looked like you two were interested in each other. That was a pretty interesting conversation you two had." Angelica said. Kimi crosses her arms and glares at Phil. while still wearing a huge grin on her face.

"Oh, really?" Kimi asked. A worried look comes over Phil's face.

"She was the one saying all of the 'interesting' stuff." Phil said.

"Uh huh." Kimi said, still grinning. An angry expression comes over Phil's face.

"Kimi, I've told you like a gazillion times already. THERE'S NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN ME AND TAMERA!" Phil explodes. A shocked expression comes across Kimi's face.

"Chill out, Phil. I was just kidding." Kimi said.

"Well, I mean, GEEZ! I HATE it when you do that! It just... well... it makes me think..." Phil started. Kimi glares at him.

"That I don't listen very well?" Kimi asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

"No! It's not that you don't listen very well. You just don't listen to me." Phil said. Lil slaps herself on the forehead and thinks to herself, "Wrong answer!" A very angry expression now comes over Kimi face.

"I DO TOO!" Kimi yelled, standing up quickly.

"YOU DO NOT!" Phil yelled right back, standing up as well. "Oh man... Here we go!" Tommy thought to himself.

"Just because I joke around with you, doesn't mean that I don't listen! I was only messing around, but you've got to take everything so seriously! Grow up, already!" Kimi yelled. That was the final nail in the coffin.

"Well, you know what, Kimi? There's always a time and place to make jokes, EXCEPT NOW! And what do you mean, 'I' need to grow up? I'm trying to take our relationship seriously and you are doing nothing but playing games, so if there's anybody that needs to grow up, IT'S YOU!" Phil exploded.

"Phil..." Kimi started. She sighs and then laughs. "You know what? Forget it! I don't even know why I bother with you!" Kimi yelled.

"Likewise, Kimi! It's over!" Phil yelled.

"Fine, then!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!" Kimi screamed, slapping their smoothie off of the table. She then ran out of the coffee shop and started sobbing. Phil looked at the spilt smoothie on the floor and then sat back down in his chair. He goes to rest his head in the palms of his hands, but then stops and looks over at his friends. They all wore shocked expressions on their faces.

"Don't say a word!" Phil warned. His face was starting to turn red and he felt the tears coming, so he resumed covering his face up with his hands.

"Welp, like they say... easy come, easy go." Betty said. She started to walk over to him, but thought better of it. Angelica wore an, "Oopsie!" expression on her face. She walks back up to Phil and puts her hand on his shoulder. Betty noticed this and shook her head in disapproval.

"I'm sorry, Phil..."

"GET OFF OF ME!" Phil exploded in a shaky voice, slapping her arm away. Angelica nodded.

"I deserved that." Angelica said and then started towards the door. Chuckie wasn't about to let her get off so easily. He quickly runs over to her.

"Nice going, Angelica! Everything was just fine, until you opened your big mouth! Again I say, nice going! You've managed to wreck, not only ANOTHER relationship, but possibly a long time friendship as well!" Chuckie yelled. Angelica just shut her eyes and lowered her head in shame. Lil walks up beside Chuckie and whispers to him.

"I'm going to go check on Kimi." Lil said. Chuckie nods.

"Ok, but be careful." Chuckie said.

"Right." Lil said and then walked out. She knew what Chuckie meant. He meant be careful, because Kimi was tough and could seriously hurt Lil, if Kimi turned on her. Of course, it's not to say that Lil couldn't do the same to Kimi, if she really had to defend herself. She was just as tough as Kimi, if not tougher, but a conflict was the last thing she was looking for. Lil knew she was risking their friendship, but if she could get Kimi and Phil back together, she didn't care. At the same moment that Lil exited the Java Lava, Tamera made her way in. Lil had seen her. "What's she doing here?" Lil questioned to herself.

Tamera smiled the moment she saw Phil and started towards him. Angelica's and Chuckie's eyes both lock on Tamera, as she walks by.

"Hi, Phillip!" Tamera said, cheerfully. Phil looked up at her.

"Uh... this might not be a good time." Tommy said. Phil glared at him.

"Of course it is. Have a seat." Phil said, pointing to the chair across from him, the same one Kimi was sitting in earlier.

"Thanks." Tamera said, sitting down. She then took notice of Phil's face. "Um... Is everything ok?" She asked. Phil just shook his head.

"Kimi and I broke up." He said.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well. What can you do?" Phil asked. He quickly changed the subject. "So, what are you up to?" Phil asked.

"Just thought I'd check this place out for once." She starts looking around the coffee shop. "It's actually pretty nice."

"Thanks. My mom and Kimi's dad run the place." Phil said, pointing over to the two adults behind the counter.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Deville, Mr. Finster!" Tamera called out.

"Yep, same here." Betty said. Chas leaned in to whisper to Betty.

"Who's that girl?" Chas asked.

"No clue." Betty said.

"That's the girl I was talking about earlier." Angelica said, walking up to the counter.

"The twelve year old?" Betty asked. Angelica nods. Betty looks back over at the two. "What's she doing hanging around with Philly?" Betty asked.

"She's got the hots for him, I guess." Angelica said. Betty looked at Angelica for a moment and then back over to Phil and Tamera. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of her son being with an older girl, but she also wasn't sure what to do about it. She continued to observe the two from time to time, as they got lost in conversation.

**3:45 P.M.**

Lil knocked on the door of the Finster house. Kira answered it.

"Oh hi, Lil! Come on in!" Kira said. Lil stepped into the house.

"Is Kimi here?" Lil asked. Kira nodded.

"She's in her room."

"Is she ok?"

"I don't know. She ran in crying a while ago. I tried to find out what's wrong, but she was just too upset to talk." Kira said. Lil lowered her head. "You must know something." Kira said. Lil nodded.

"Is it alright if I go in?"

"Of course."

"Thanks." Lil said and then started upstairs. Lil had made her way down the hall and was now standing outside of Kimi's bedroom door. "Ok, Lil. You can do this." Lil said to herself. She takes in a deep breath and then lets it out. She knocks on the door and then slowly steps in. "Kimi?" Lil called out. Kimi was laying down on her stomach and had her face plowed into her pillow, most likely to muffle her sniffling and sobbing. Kimi turns to face Lil. Kimi's face was beet red and she didn't seem all that happy to see Lil.

"What are you doing here?" Kimi asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

"I just thought I'd come check on you. You ok?" Lil asked.

"I'm just fine, no thanks to your brother! I'd feel even better if you left right now, because I know why you're here and... well... just save your breath, ok? Phil and I are NEVER getting back together!" Kimi yelled. A determined look came over Lil's face.

"That's not why I'm here. I told you, I only came by to check on you. We're best friends, Kimi, regardless of what happens between you and my brother, but... if you really want me to leave, then I'm going to respect your wishes and just go. Sorry for intruding on you. I hope you feel better." Lil said, starting to walk out the door. Kimi felt bad. She knew she was wrong for directing her anger towards Lil, when Lil was only trying to comfort her, like a true friend.

"No, Lil, I'm sorry. Come back in here." Kimi said. Lil stepped back into the room and now wore a smile on her face. This, in turn, forced a smile on Kimi's as well. "Sit." Kimi commanded, patting a spot beside her on her bed. Lil sat and then put her arm around Kimi. Kimi just leans her head on Lil's shoulder. "How was Phil taking it?" Kimi asked all of the sudden. Lil hesitated for a moment, before she answered.

"Not very well. He was trying everything he could to keep himself from getting upset, but he couldn't hold it back."

"Poor guy. I don't blame him."

"What are you saying, Kimi? You think it's your fault that you two are separated?" Kimi raises her head and turns to Lil.

"Well, isn't it?"

"Well... not entirely. You both made pretty good points about each other. Phil DOES take things too seriously, but, honestly, I still don't think you should've been kidding around about him and Tamera like that." Kimi nods.

"Yeah... I know. I feel bad." Kimi said, lowering her head. Lil knew that Kimi was going to hate her for saying what she was about to say, but it had to be said.

"Kimi, you two have got to make up with each other. Ever since you guys started getting serious about each other, it's..." Lil's eyes watered up and she started to sob. "It's just... made him so happy." Kimi looks back up to Lil, this time with a shocked look on her face. Kimi then puts her arm around Lil. Lil tries desperately to calm herself down and is barely able to do so.

"Wow, Lil. I didn't know you felt that way." Lil nods.

"And Chuckie... Chuckie feels the same way about you. He was angry at Angelica for bringing up Tamera and he let her know about it."

"He did?" Lil nods. "Wow... Sounds like mine and Phil's relationship really means a lot... to everybody." Lil nods, wiping a tear from her eye.

"It does. Everybody thinks the world of you two being together. I know I'm asking a lot, cause I know it's not going to be easy to do, but Kimi, can you at least try? Please?" Lil asked in a shaky voice. Kimi looks down for a second and then back up to Lil with a huge grin on her face.

"Yeah, I can do that." Kimi said. Lil smiled big and tears immediately started rolling out of her eyes.

"Oh, thank you, Kimi!" Lil cried, embracing Kimi with a hug. Kimi embraces her back and softly pats Lil's back with her hand. After a moment of this, the two girls separate. All of the sudden, Kimi stands up.

"Well... come on. Let's go fix things." Kimi said cheerfully. She then began to exit the room. Lil stops her.

"Wait a second, Kimi." Lil urged. Kimi gave her a funny look. "You know, you don't HAVE to go right away and besides that, I told you that I came over to check on and comfort you. So, I'll tell ya what, let's go see a movie. How about it? My treat." Lil said, wearing a fake smile. Kimi thought about it for a moment and then smiled back.

"Sure. That sounds great." Kimi said. Lil nods and the two of them begin to make their way downstairs. Lil had partially lied. She knew that if Kimi saw Phil with Tamera, it would really set things off and undo all her efforts of getting them back together. Lil decided that later that evening, when Phil got home, would be a better time for that, IF Tamera wasn't, for some reason, with him. She just hoped that all of that would hold up.

**(End Of Chapter)**

How is it so far? This was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but seeing as it's going to be so long, I felt I had to split it into a second chapter. I'll try to get that here as soon as I can.


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